Opal Apples

Opal is a yellow apple that our local organic orchard is growing and has at the market at the moment. It was developed in the 1990s in the Czech Republic after a natural hybrid of Golden Delicious and Topaz occurred at the Institute of Experimental Botany in Prague. It thrives in sunny dry areas, similar to the conditions required for growing wine grapes, so it is quite widely grown in the Loire Valley. Sweet, firm but not overly crisp, juicy, and lightly russetted at the stem end, its big claim to fame is that it does not brown when cut. I like it and buy it often.